…sharing my recipe box & a little everyday life

I’m not the biggest fan of traditional pumpkin pie, but I’ll gladly eat this Layered Pumpkin Pie in a Jar any day!

It didn’t take more than a couple dips of their spoons into these layered jars of delicious fun, for my husband and oldest daughter to declare that I could most definitely make these again. And I do agree. This recipe for Layered Pumpkin Pie in a Jar is a keeper!

And for many years, early on in my baking, I turned to a layered pumpkin pie recipe from Kraft that utilized vanilla pudding and cream cheese. Everyone always loves its untraditional pumpkin pie texture, especially kids. So I decided to pipe those creamy layers into jars this year. This recipe for pumpkin pie in a jar makes for super fun individual portions, both beautiful to look at and easy to transport to your Thanksgiving feast at Grandma’s house.

optional:

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°. Place the mixing bowl and beater(s) for beating the cream into the freezer to chill.

for the graham cracker crust layer:

Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Then add the melted butter and stir until evenly moistened. Spread mixture in a 9'' x 13'' pan and bake for 5 minutes. Stir and bake for another minute or two, or until crumbs are fragrant and nicely browned. Be careful not to burn. Remove from oven and let cool completely while you prepare the other pie layers.

for the whippy cream cheese layer and finishing dollop of sweetened whipped cream:

My favorite part! Using your chilled bowl and beaters, whip the cream until stiff. Add the powdered sugar and beat just to combine. Remove sweetened whipped cream to another bowl and set it in the refrigerator. Add the cream cheese to the same chilled bowl and cream until very smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Blend in the vanilla. Now add half of the sweetened whipped cream back into the chilled bowl with the cream cheese, gently folding to thoroughly combine. This tastes awesome! Place this bowl of whippy cream cheese and the remaining half of the sweetened whipped cream back into the refrigerator to stay chilled.

for the pumpkin layer:

Pour the milk into a large bowl. Add the pumpkin, pudding mixes, and spices. Beat with a wire whisk for 2 minutes, or until very well blended. The mixture should be quite thick.

to add the layers into the jars:

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip (I used Ateco No. 808) with the whippy cream cheese mixture. Pipe a layer of this mixture onto the bottom of a jar (I used 8-ounce wide mouth Mason jars), starting at the perimeter of the jar and working to the center. Lightly tap the jar on a towel (so jar doesn’t break) on the counter, to settle the mixture in. Repeat this step with the rest of the jars.

Sprinkle the whippy cream cheese layer with 2 tablespoons of baked graham cracker crumbs. Lightly tap the jar again to even out the crumbs. Repeat with the rest of the jars.

Using the same large plain round tip, fill another pastry bag with the pumpkin pudding mixture. Pipe this mixture onto the graham cracker crust layer, in the same manner as the first whippy cream cheese layer. Lightly tap again and repeat with the rest of the jars.

Now you can simply add a dollop of the reserved sweetened whipped cream (without the added cream cheese) to the top of each pie with a spoon, or you can pipe a more refined swirl, like I did, using the same large plain round tip. Then finish with a sprinkling of graham cracker crust and chocolate shavings, if desired. If you plan to transport these jars with their lids screwed on, keep in mind the height of your top dollop, if you don’t want it to get smooshed when you add the lid.

These jars of pie can easily be made the day prior to serving. In fact, I think they taste best after being completely chilled overnight.

The whippy cream cheese layer was adapted from my aunt Patsy's Strawberry Pie. The pumpkin layer, along with the general concept of this layered pie, was adapted from Kraft.

I am enamored with all the “little jar” recipes appearing on the web. This one is particularly wonderful! How fun would this be to bring to a potluck or Thanksgiving dinner for dessert? Great job. And, mmmmmm.

farmgirlreplied on October 30th, 2011 at 9:26 pm

Lovely to hear from you, Nancy! This would surely be a fun dessert for a Thanksgiving potluck…we’re still waiting to hear about our plans, to see if we might make these.

These look beautiful and delicious. I’ve just recently bought some canning jars so I’m hoping to be able to start making more treats in jars. I’d like to invite you to share your recipe on Sweet Indulgences Sunday.

These should have been named “heavenly little jars of goodness” I made these for a birthday dinner for our son in law. We were having the dinner out in our woods & had to carry everything so these were perfect…..and heavenly! thanks for sharing!

xo

katie

farmgirlreplied on November 15th, 2011 at 9:58 am

That sounds like so much fun! I am so happy you liked the pies, and love your new name for them. Thanks for letting me know!!

OMG, these were the hit of Thanksgiving! I got twelve from the recipe. Def will keep this recipe in the “permanent” file :-)
I thought there was going to be fight to take home the leftover jars. thanks for the great post.

How far in advance could I make this? I’m hosting Christmas this year (a first!) and I’d love to make this the day before everyone gets here! Thanks for the recipe! It looks so yummy and I cannot wait to make it!

farmgirlreplied on December 4th, 2011 at 9:51 pm

Hi Natalie! I actually like them better after they’ve been refrigerated overnight. You can definitely make these the day before. Perfect, huh?! :) Best wishes with your first Christmas hosting!! Hope you and your guests like these!

I am trying to come up with something festive/home made to send to my boyfriend overseas for thanksgiving. This would be perfect! Do you know if this recipe could w/stand shipping and handling for a few weeks? Or do you happen to have another pumpkin pie recipe that would? Thanks!

Brendareplied on November 5th, 2012 at 11:45 am

Hello Chloe – This would not be a good recipe to withstand weeks of shipping, as it requires refrigeration & needs to be kept completely upright. The only thing pumpkin I have on my site that could withstand shipping might be the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. But I have reservations about any baked goods still being good after shipping and handling that could last a few weeks.

My Mom made these as a special dessert for my rehearsal dinner the night before my wedding, and they were delicious!! I’m planning to make this recipe as a layered dish in a 9 x 13 pan for my company potluck lunch this week. Super scrumptious!!

These look so fabulous! What would happen if I made the recipe without the Jello pudding/pie filling? Something(s) I can use in place of it?
Thanks bunches.

Brendareplied on January 8th, 2013 at 10:08 pm

I haven’t experimented without the pudding mix. I wanted a dessert that wasn’t baked in the oven, and the pudding gives the pumpkin a nice creamy substantial fill. Please let me know if you try anything different with this!